Healing Touch
by FreyReh
Summary: Leonard is sick and Sara takes care of him-originally a prompt but turned into a two-parter
1. Chapter 1

prompt (saltandburn67): i'm craving some super sick!len with sara being cute (yet strict) nurse

dis: i don't own LOT!

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"You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine."

Sara's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she looked Leonard over. His cheeks looked a little flushed and the tip of his nose was red. His voice sounded thick and hoarse and even now he coughed, shoulders hunching at the power of it. He was breathing through his mouth and had his extra thick parka on today along with his gloves.

"Snart…" Sara walked to him, tossing the handful of papers she'd been looking through on their next lead to Savage on the table before rising her hand up to his forehead. He flinched. She wasn't sure if it was because someone was touching him, or if it was because her hands were cold compared to his hot skin. Probably a mixture of both. "You're burning up."

"I'm fine," he insisted once again, his clogged nose and throat muffling his words.

Sara refused to back down though and folded her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. Snart just rolled his eyes at her and found a seat to get comfortable in before looking over his own papers. He propped his head up in his hand while lazily scanning each word. Sara, dropping it for now, gathered her papers back up but continued to watch him. When he finally fell asleep at the table sitting up, she'd had enough. He was miserable, and he needed to rest.

She told herself she was doing this because she didn't want anyone else getting sick from the germs he had. It wasn't like she actually cared about him. She put the rest of her papers back on the table beside Ray and Kendra. When they were about to protest she jacked a thumb over her shoulder at Snart.

"I"m putting him to bed."

"Oh," said Kendra, eyes rising in question, looking between Sara and Snart.

"Not like that," said Sara. "He's sick, and not at 100 percent. He needs some rest and is too stubborn to do it on his own."

"He's been working himself extra hard. Since Mick… The missing two years…" Ray took Kendra's hand. "According to Rip he took it the hardest, needing to leave us behind."

"Really?" asked Sara. She watched as Kendra and Ray shared a look. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Well it's just… Since we've been back… He just kinda… Watches you. I don't know, it isn't creepy or anything like that! Just…"

"-we think he likes you," finished Kendra, rolling her eyes at the babble. "Jeez, Ray."

"Likes me?" Sara laughed. "Yeah, okay. We barely tolerate each other."

"Keep telling yourself that," said Kendra, giving her friend a push. "I mean, you obviously care a little, what with wanting him to rest now. If you didn't, you'd tell him to suck it up like you did to Ray when he sprained his ankle."

"That was different," said Sara.

"Not really, no," said Ray, suddenly upset, remembering the ankle debacle.

"Whatever," said Sara, backing away. "I'll be back."

"She totally likes him," said Ray when Sara was out of hearing range.

"Totally," agreed Kendra.

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Leonard Snart was normally a light sleeper, but this time Sara had to put her hand on his shoulder and nudged him awake. Saying his name hadn't been effective. He startled awake, hands going up in a defensive position, and Sara put her own hands up to show she was no threat: making a note that abruptly waking the man was NOT a good idea.

"It's just me… You fell asleep."

Leonard shifted in his seat, a little embarrassed now as he nodded.

"Look. Just come with me to the med bay. We can get you on some meds or something," suggested Sara. "Might as well take advantage of the advanced medicine while we can, yeah?"

"You aren't going to let up until I go, are you?" he asked, defeated.

"Nope," said Sara, popping the 'p'.

"Fine," muttered Snart sharply, sliding off of his chair. "I'll go."

Sara walked with him to the infirmary. He complained about her babysitting him, and she ignored the pokes while "gently" guiding him to a vacant bed. He huffed while Gideon scanned him and administered some medicine to help with his symptoms.

"I recommend Mr. Snart to drink plenty of fluids and to get some rest," piped in Gideon.

"Don't argue," said Sara as he opened his mouth in protest.

"Sara-"

"C'mon, Leonard." They were using first names instead of 'crook' and 'assassin'. "Just take a day. We're okay right now. No big battles, just paperwork."

Leonard sighed. He was tired. He could just take a short nap and when he woke up the meds should be working enough for him to stand on his feet without feeling like the world was spinning. He relented and went to his room. What he didn't expect was for Sara to show up a few minutes later with some water and even a bowl of soup. He wasn't used to this. He was used to taking care of himself. He never really had anyone take care of him while he was sick. Lisa never pestered him after he told her to drop it once. Mick… Mick never pushed him to rest. His father?

Yeah, no sympathy there either.

"It's cold in here," said Sara, moving to the wall panel that controlled the heat.

"I like the cold," he argued as she turned the temperature up. He sighed. "What are you doing?"

"In bed, now," ordered Sara.

"If you wanted me in bed, all you had to do was-" A fit of coughs suddenly hit him. By the end of it he was feeling light-headed and was seeing spots. He groaned as he made it to the bed. He didn't argue as Sara took his coat, just toed off his boots and went under his blanket. She handed him the soup she'd sat on his desk and then sat at the edge of his bed. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Maybe I want to stay here instead of looking at another sheet of numbers," said Sara with a shrug.

"Right…" Leonard reluctantly started eating the chicken noodle. It soothed his throat a little, and warmed up his sinuses. When he was done she exchanged his empty bowl for the water. Slowly he drank some before speaking. "So what do you want?"

"Huh?"

"In exchange for all of this," he said, gesturing around the room.

"Nothing?" she answered. "Why would I want something?"

"Someone isn't nice to someone without wanting something in return."

"I want you to get better, that's it," she said, reaching out to touch his forehead against. He didn't flinch, just shivered. "Your fever isn't as high."

He reached up and took her hand off his forehead. For a split second he held it, fingertips interlocking before he released it. Sara frowned at his sudden… Coldness. She let it drop though. She stood, gathering the bowl and spoon. She found a box of tissues and tossed it at him, almost hitting him in the face before he caught it.

She was a little mad that he wasn't taking her help seriously. She was about to make it to the door when he called her name, making her pause.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly, shifting in bed. "I mean it. I'm… I'm not used to people taking care of me."

Sara looked over her shoulder at him. He was looking down at the box of kleenix, refusing to look at her after his small confession. She remembered tidbits of conversations with him. How he raised his sister on his own, how shitty of a father he had… He never had what she had growing up, a gentle hand to sooth awake the fevers and aches and pains. Suddenly, a new burst of resolve filled her. For some reason… She wanted him to know what it was like to be taken care of.

"I'll check on you in a couple hours, okay?"

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He nodded as the doors closed behind her. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep. There was a moment he woke up to her placing another blanket over him. He was shivering and he closed his eyes as tight as he could while mentally screaming at himself to stop. He felt her hand at the top of his head, fingertips in his hair before moving to tuck the blanket. He wasn't sure why, he'd blame his delirium, but he'd taken her hand after and just held it before falling back to sleep.

When he woke up again his room was dark, the lights of his wall panel even dimmed. He tossed his blanket aside and had to admit he felt a lot better. He pulled on his boots, slipped on his parka, then headed out the door. He found more water to drink and even stopped in the infirmary for another dose of medicine. When he went to the meeting room there was no one there, but the stack of papers he'd been looking at were in the same spot. More alert, he was able to focus and soon found a pattern that could lead them to Savage.

He inserted the data and sighed. Looked like they were about to visit the Bahamas. He hated the heat. He looked up when he felt someone else enter the room and saw Sara standing there with two mugs of something that was steaming.

"Hey."

He frowned. Suddenly his chest felt tight. This had nothing to do with being sick and everything to do with the damn feelings he'd been developing for the assassin. He hadn't wanted to admit it, had fought it tooth and nail in his head, but her taking care of him? It just messed up his plans.

"Hey…" he said carefully.

"Tea?"

"Sure."

"What're you looking at?" she asked, sipping her own tea, standing at his back, her hand on his shoulder.

"Uh…" He cleared his throat. "Found a pattern. Looks like we're going to the Bahamas."

"Oh? I get to use that bikini I packed after all." He nearly choked on his tea. "Not going to lie, will be nice to be somewhere warm and sunny for a change."

"Mmhmm…"

"Need anything else?" she asked, squeezing his shoulder.

"I'm fine. Thanks," he answered.

"Okay." She took her hand away and he hid his disappointment with another sip of tea. "I'm going to go find my own bed, then. Goodnight, Leonard."

"Goodnight, Sara."

When he watched her go, he vowed that after tonight, he'd return the favor. Sara had taken care of him. It wasn't something he'd forget. He gathered the papers, imputed the data for Gideon and Rip to go over in the morning, then returned to his room. He climbed into bed and adjusted the covers. He paused when seeing the extra one, the one she'd brought him earlier. It was like a quilt, thick and offering a warmth that he was willing to admit he still needed in this moment.

"Definitely returning the favor."

 **END**


	2. Chapter 2

Dis: I don't own LOT!

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Leonard Snart knew when something was wrong. He'd always been able to tell if there was a cog somewhere that wasn't working properly in the environment around him. It was why he'd been such a good thief. He could read people, read their actions, and just know what was coming. Like now, as he leaned against the wall to listen to the latest report on where Savage would be, his eyes found Sara Lance. Her pale skin was still tinged with a light pink from their stint in the Bahamas, but even so he knew the flushed cheeks were not part of her minor sunburn. He was ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure she had a fever.

Leonard knew this would happen the day she'd helped him.

He'd been sick, the sickest he'd been in a while, and Sara had taken care of him. Now, it wasn't something he'd asked for: but she'd offered. It had been… Nice… To have someone take care of him for a change and not ask for something in return. He'd been waiting for a week, waiting for her to cash in on the time she spent making tea and making sure he took his medicine.

But it never happened.

When Rip adjourned the meeting, Leonard slowly pushed off the wall with his foot and nonchalantly made his way to Sara. She was rubbing her eyes now, and fighting a yawn. When he came to her side she give him a sideways glance.

"Hey."

"Feeling okay?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, just tired," she said, pulling strands of her hair off her heated neck before giving up and just putting her hair in a ponytail. She hadn't pushed him right away so he didn't push her, just did to her what she'd done to him.

Fixed her with his stare that said he knew better, before nodding. She was stubborn, like him, but like her he could wait. When she didn't show up for dinner he fixed her a plate, ignoring the knowing glances of Kendra and Palmer. Those two needed to get their own life and stay out of his.

He went to her door and knocked. He waited a minute before knocking again and the door opened to Sara dressed in a flimsy tank top and pajama shorts holding a kleenix. Leonard sighed and she gave him a pitiful look.

"I'm sick," she said with an almost pout. Her eyes closed as his much cooler hand touched her heated forehead and she almost purred at the feeling, a shiver traveling down her spine.

"I can see that," he said, walking into her room. "Have you been to the medbay?"

"Yeah, I got some stuff for it," said Sara.

"Good. Get in bed."

"My, Leonard, all you had to do was ask," she said with a cock of her hip, returning a similar line he'd said to her. He shot her an unamused look while fighting a smile. Sara eventually relented and crawled back into bed. Leonard recognized the quilt she'd given to him and he was about to reach for it but Sara shook her head. "I'm too hot for that."

"I brought you some food. Can you handle it?"

"Yeah," she said taking the plate he offered. "Could…" She bit her lip to stop herself from asking. He just raised an eyebrow, an order for her to continue. "You think I could get some ice water?"

"I'll be right back with that."

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"I remember the first time Lisa got really sick." Sara opened her eyes as Leonard started to talk. He'd gotten her ice water when asked, and when she'd started getting cold he'd helped her settle in beneath her covers. She was shivering a little, her fever was breaking. Thankfully, her sinuses weren't hit as hard as his had been, and her coughing had only been minimal. "Scared the hell out of me, seeing her like that. Four years old and puking out everything she ate and drank. Dad was too drunk to drive her to the hospital so we took the bus to the clinic. I remember an older lady helping me find the right route to get there. When I brought Lisa in she'd been dehydrated and so pale…"

Leonard's jaw tightened as he gathered her empty glass and made sure her wastebasket was close with a box of tissues. He'd taken his coat off, had it draping over the back of her chair and his sleeves rolled up. He'd turned the heat up in her room for her when she started getting cold, despite hating it.

"She pulled through, not that Dad cared, he only cared when the medical bill came." He frowned at the memory, rubbing a spot on his arm, and Sara wanted to know why. What did his dad do, that had those phantom sensations start? Leonard blinked and suddenly he was back to working. When done tidying up, he went back to her and she watched as he adjusted her blanket. "Get some rest, Sara. You'll be out for a few hours and feel as good as new when you wake up."

"Thanks," she said, doing what he'd done to her, and reaching out for his hand. He let her take it, his own fingers curling around hers. "I mean it."

"I owed you," he said simply.

"No you didn't," she argued weakly, eyelashes already fluttering closed.

He smiled, a true smile, before releasing her hand. He grabbed his coat, dimmed the lights, and walked out her door. Sara fell asleep, finally feeling warm.

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Leonard was calibrating his gun when she came into the armory. He noticed her cheeks were back to normal and any other sign of her being ill was gone. He wasn't sure what she was up to, though. She had an evil gleam in her eye he wasn't a fan of as she leaned against the table he was working at, palms on either side of his gun.

"Feeling better I see," he said conversationally.

"Much." She nodded, a large smile breaking out that he had to blink to make sure it was there. This was new. Her being so… Open. Alarm bells were starting to ring in his head but he ignored them as he reassembled his weapon. "What are you up to today?"

"Just this," he said. "You?"

Sara shrugged before finally straightening. "Nothing much. Want to play cards? You promised me you'd teach me Omaha."

"We could," he said.

"I'm not playing for money, though. I learned my lesson with you."

He stood while giving her a sly smirk, holstering his weapon, and then nearly jumped out of his skin when she hugged him. Normally, when someone other than Lisa did this, they ended up on the ground begging for their life. He had his hands outstretched, unsure of what to do. A part of him was screaming to run away, to knock her down and put up his shields. But this was Sara… The woman he told about meeting Mick, and Lisa being sick… Whether he liked it or not, she was already past his shields.

So he hugged her back. Not too tight, but enough to consider it an embrace.

"What's this about?" he asked. He knew he was tense, he was trying not to be, but it was hard… Though the way her hands were now traveling up his back… It was helping.

"This is my thank you for taking care of me when you didn't need to."

"I-" He'd almost said he'd owed her. But she'd insisted that he hadn't. "It's no big deal, Sara."

Her hug tightened minutely before she released him. His body tingled where she'd been pressed and some insane part of him wanted to pull her back. He swiftly told _that_ part of him to shut the hell up.

"So…" She rubbed her hands together. "Cards?"

"Cards," he agreed.

 **END**


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